Loudspeaker technology has developed at a rapid pace over the last couple of decades. Dispersion has become incredibly precise and predictable. Coverage across the sound field has become smoother and more uniform. Throw distances have increased and box sizes have decreased. 

In many respects, a compact loudspeaker like the dBTechnologies VIO X206 is a result of these types of developments. Gone are the days where small size means small performance. The X206 is indeed compact (65cm x 27cm x 21cm) and fairly lightweight at 17.3kg. The cabinet houses two 6.5-inch transducers and a 1-inch compression driver. Like most dBTechnologies products, it’s self-powered with a built-in 900W RMS Class-D Digipro G3 amplifier for a maximum SPL of 131dB and a commendably broad frequency response of 66Hz–19.5kHz (-10dB). 

But aside from its impressive performance specs, the VIO X206 has a nifty trick up its sleeve. Its standard 60° x 90° horn can be swapped out for a 100° x 15° waveguide, instantly transforming it from a point source box for small to medium gigs into an array-able cabinet ready for larger scale applications. This makes the X206 uncommonly versatile and thus an attractive option for those needing adaptability.

ARRAY OF OPTIONS

Take one look at the X206 and you can see how it presents itself as an ideal point source loudspeaker for a variety of smaller sound reinforcement applications. The slim form factor makes for neat and discreet wall or pole mounting in spaces anywhere from pubs and restaurants to churches and function rooms. Horizontal and vertical brackets for the X206 are available from dBTechnologies to suit a venue’s needs, including pole mounting, wall mounting, and truss mounting. For portable use, the X206 needs an adaptor to fit a regular speaker stand.

dBTechnologies has enhanced the X206’s functionality with Ease Focus predictive software and Aurora Net control and monitoring software. Connect via the RDNet protocol using the Data In etherCON port on the back of the X206, and use Data Out to daisy chain with extra modules in a line array configuration. The software is an exception value-add which lets you get the most out of a pair or group of X206s – 32-bit DSP processing allows for accurate delays, phase visualisations, EQ curves, and so on – without moving from the FOH position.

The iconic Shure SM7B dynamic microphone needs no introduction. Neither does its infamous ‘inadequacy’ – a notoriously low output. For many, the SM7B’s demand for a huge amount of clean gain was a dealbreaker. Not many prosumer audio interfaces and podcast recorders can supply enough gain to record softer material without hugely raising the noise floor. For everyone else using the SM7B in spoken word or other low-SPL applications, it generally needs to be paired with a high quality preamplifier, or an in-line gain booster like a Cloudlifter. 

Besides its low-output snafu, the SM7B is a legendary microphone. A tight polar pattern with excellent rear rejection makes it perfect in the studio for vocals, guitar cabs, or even snare drums. In the podcast studio or voiceover booth, the SM7B excels in reproducing a natural and warm vocal tone on pretty much any voice. The lengthy grille is among the most effective in its class at stopping plosives without the need for a separate pop filter. The manoeuvrable Y-mount allows for flexible positioning and the adjacent XLR connector feeds a cable tidily along the mic stand. Ask recording engineers, radio presenters, podcasters, musicians – not many will have a bad word to say about the SM7B.

POWER UP

Big news. Shure has listened to its users, addressed the low output niggle with the SM7B, and built a solution right into the mic. Meet the SM7dB. It’s aptly named, because this revamped version gives you a bunch of free gain. 

Like a Cloudlifter, the SM7dB’s built-in preamplifier needs phantom power to work. A switch on the rear lets you boost the output by 18dB or 28dB –more than enough to pump a juicy signal into even the most pedestrian of preamps in a mixer or audio interface. 

I like having the two gain options. Some people sing, speak or rap louder than others. For the quiet ones, +28dB is the go. Pair this with clean gain from a nice preamp and you can capture even whisper-quiet sources with ease and clarity. In fact, it opens up a whole new horizon of recording options. Normally I wouldn’t think to record an acoustic guitar with an SM7B. But with the SM7dB? Even the most delicate fingerpicked parts can be captured noise-free. 

For the most part I found myself sitting on the +18dB setting as it’s just enough to boost the signal to the input level of a typical condenser mic, but not so much that you’re nearly clipping after adding a touch of preamp gain. For louder sources in the studio you can bypass the preamp altogether and run passive.

Highway Series follows in the footsteps of Fender’s Acoustasonic lineup. Released in 2019, Acoustasonic blurs the lines between acoustic and electric guitar design, feel and function.

After spending a few minutes with Highway Series, it clearly borrows from Acoustasonic’s design, but it’s also clearly less of an attempt to be an acoustic/electric guitar hybrid. These are unashamedly acoustic guitars, and the only thing that could make you think otherwise is their thinness and the location of the tone and volume knobs. Otherwise, the playing experience feels like an acoustic, it resonates like an acoustic, and when plugged in, sounds like an acoustic.

However, it’s still smaller than a ‘real’ acoustic guitar. According to Fender, this design decision was to make Highway Series more attractive to guitarists who spend a lot of time on stage, desiring a more comfortable and ergonomic instrument without sacrificing acoustic tone in a live situation.

ZERO DREAD

Fender sent AT a Highway Series Dreadnought acoustic guitar. Dreadnought is one of the larger acoustic guitar shapes, but don’t let that fool you into thinking the Highway Series guitars are large. Upon arrival I couldn’t help but notice that, although the shape of the top is indeed dreadnought, the thin profile makes the guitar beautifully ergonomic. The contoured back makes the instrument sit neatly against the body much like a Stratocaster.

Manufactured in Fender’s facility in Ensenada, Mexico, Highway Series is a beautifully designed guitar. The body is a 5.7cm-thick hollowed out piece of mahogany with its wavy woodgrain pattern glistening under the matte finish. A mahogany neck is overlaid with an Indian rosewood fingerboard with micro-tilt adjustment and a Strat-style headstock and tuners. An understated railroad binding on the solid Sitka spruce top gives it a vintage vibe. The bridge and knobs are a matching ebony-coloured wood.

Both the Dreadnought and Parlor models that form the Highway Series do not have cutaways. Whether that’s a dealbreaker or not is a personal choice, but I imagine a cutaway would slightly compromise the resonance you might get out of the small body – and resonance is a key priority for Fender when designing these guitars.

Mixing in small rooms is a fact of life. Not everyone has a perfectly treated mix environment where sound waves have the room to develop and the pesky problem frequencies are addressed with their own Helmholtz resonators. 

The issue is, how can you trust your mixes if you’re in a room that’s acoustically tarnishing the true response of your expensive studio monitors? Or if the room’s modest size means you’re sitting half a metre too close to your monitors than their optimum listening distance?

Option one: mix on headphones. Option two: drop a couple of grand on acoustic treatment. Option three: try some ultra nearfield studio monitors. 

GET CLOSER

The Kali Audio IN-UNF studio monitors occupy this ‘ultra nearfield’ category. A clue is its unconventional form factor, which diverges from a typical rectangular speaker cabinet with forward-facing drivers that’s placed at least a metre away. Rather, with an ideal listening distance of 0.8m, the IN-UNF is designed to be up close and personal. It’s the audio equivalent of ultra short throw projection in the sense that it’s optimised for a short ‘throw’ distance. This configuration achieves a couple of things. Firstly, it means you can monitor at lower levels. Secondly, it reduces the influence of a room’s acoustics to the degree that the proximity means your ears receive more direct sound and less reflected sound. 

The IN-UNF is a three-way monitoring system in Kali’s Project Independence line of products. The two ball-shaped satellites house the same coaxial drivers used in Kali Audio’s IN-5 and IN-8 with a four-inch midrange driver and one-inch textile dome tweeter extending up to 25kHz (±3dB). The subwoofer (which could be mistaken for a CPU tower) is designed to sit on your desk – not on the floor. Two horizontally opposed 4.5-inch drivers cancel out vibrations transmitted to the desk’s surface and supply low frequency extension down to 47Hz (±3dB). Crossover points are at 280Hz and 2.8kHz.

Hooking the system up begins with the subwoofer. Once powered via IEC cable, plug the two passive satellites into the sub using the included banana connectors. Audio input options include balanced 6.5mm TRS, stereo 3.5mm, USB-C, and Optical. The USB-C input means you can use the IN-UNF without an audio interface.

ALL ABOUT LOCATION

Positioning of each unit is of crucial importance. One thing I appreciated about the Kali Audio IN-5 was its hyper accurate stereo imaging. To achieve the same precision with the IN-UNF, Kali Audio insists the satellites must sit in a very particular spot relative to the subwoofer, denoted on the included A4 placement card with traced positions. Aiming the satellites directly up at your ears is important, too, and easily done thanks to the rounded silicone pads they sit on. The subwoofer can sit vertically or horizontally. I elected to use the sub horizontally as a monitor riser. It’s a big unit (49cm wide, 29cm deep, 13cm tall), so sitting it vertically may be your only option if your desk isn’t very deep.

A series of dip switches sit next to the input connectors. Settings for different placements and configurations (boundary EQ) are available here, including 2dB boosts for bass, mids, and treble, and a 4dB bass boost on its own.

It’s genuinely impressive how, in a few short years, Røde Microphones has cemented its place in the podcasting world. The ever-growing catalogue of products made on Australian soil can be spotted in consumer broadcasting, gaming and live streaming settings across the globe. Such widespread success doesn’t happen by accident. Røde’s product offerings meet specific needs with precision; they’re priced competitively; and, importantly, they sound good. 

The PodMic is no exception. Released in December 2018, PodMic was pitched as the perfect companion for the RødeCaster Pro which hit the market only a month earlier. 

Nearly five years later Røde has decided to give the PodMic a little more attention and perhaps widen its appeal, and now we have the PodMic USB. Which is, you guessed it, a PodMic with USB connectivity. But along with built-in converters and a USB socket comes a few extra goodies worth talking about.

HEAVYWEIGHT

PodMic USB is built the same as its analogue sibling except for the blacked out paint job. If the weight of a mic reassures you of quality, then PodMic USB will alleviate all your fears — at 900g, it’s a darn heavy microphone for its size. Included with the mic is a cup-shaped pop filter which slides over the top of the grille. While it makes the mic much bulkier, it produces a noticeable reduction in plosives and will doubtless be appreciated by podcasters. 

Around the back is a USB-C connector, a 3.5mm headphone output, and a brass dial with detents to control headphone level. A small status LED shows when PodMic USB is connected. Notably, PodMic USB retains the XLR output. This allows you to use PodMic with pro audio gear, be it a mixer, interface, external preamp, or something like a RødeCaster Pro. 

Gaining up the capsule is Røde’s Revolution preamp also used in the RødeCaster Pro 2. Control of the preamp is through the Røde Central application. I don’t have generally high expectations of built-in USB mic preamps but I dare say the PodMic USB surpassed my expectations, producing a full and rich tone without the cardboard-y flatness of other USB mics that have come across my desk. Maxing the gain out at 63dB kept my recording impressively clean with minimal noise.

IN THE BOX

The tone of the PodMic USB on its own is entirely usable but fairly bland. There’s a presence push in the high mids for vocal clarity but I don’t consider it a particularly polished sound right off the bat. But fear not, the extra DSP processing offers all you need to embellish PodMic USB’s sound into something you can be proud of.

Røde Central gives you full control over the ‘VoxLab’ GUI. You’re first greeted by the three utilitarian Depth, Sparkle, and Punch knobs which affect bass, treble and compression, respectively. Click ‘Advanced’ for the nitty gritty. Curiously, the HPF is locked to 60Hz with no higher frequency options — in a spoken word situation I’d rather a HPF be closer to 120Hz for a worthwhile reduction in plosives. There’s the Exciter section, which includes Aphex’s Big Bottom and Aural Exciter, to quickly and effectively add zest and presence. I found PodMic USB responds favourably to the full Aphex treatment with accentuated lows and highs. A De-esser would be a welcome addition to the processing suite, as anything more than gentle compression can pronounce sibilance. The Compressor and Noise Gate both do their job well and offer sufficient control to put discerning users at ease.